你在哪个社会阶层

 　　Neil: Hello.

　　Rob: Today we’re talking about class. This is something of an obsession¹ with British people; it’s something they talk about and think about all the time! So Neil, what class are you - lower, middle or upper?

　　Neil: I suppose if you look at my background, you could say I am middle class.

　　Rob: Yes, me too - middle class. So we belong to a social group that consists of well-educated people, who have good jobs and are neither very rich nor very poor.

　　Neil: Well we are certainly not rich! But being middle class is not just a British thing.

　　Rob: No - the number of middle class people around the world is rising as people earn more money. So, for your question today Neil, can you guess how many people are predicted to be middle class in the world by 2030?

　　a) 2.9 billion

　　b) 3.9 billion

　　c) 4.9 billion

　　Neil: Such large numbers, I don’t know. I’ll go for b) 3.9 billion.

　　Rob: We’ll find out the answer later. So, being middle class involves a number of factors - good education, a good job, sometimes owning your own home and having a number of possessions like a car or a TV.

　　Neil: It’s quite a privileged² or comfortable position to be in - but the most important factor is having disposable income - that’s spare money to spend on more than just things you need for everyday survival³, like food. That’s what you’ve got Rob, right?

　　Rob: A little - spare money to spend on little luxuries⁴ like a holiday, a computer or a meal at a restaurant. But we always complain we never have enough money, don't we!

　　Neil: Yes, we do: the UN says to be middle class you have to earn between $10 and $100 per day. In the UK I think that’s quite a small amount so we could say, very generally, we are quite well-off - but in places such as Asia there has been a huge shift⁵ recently from people in poorer working class jobs to middle class ones.

　　Rob: It’s interesting: that by 2030 there could be 3.2 billion middle class people in Asia - overtaking⁶ Europe and America. The BBC’s John Sudworth can explain what is happening now in China. What does he say people are becoming?

　　BBC reporter, John Sudworth:

　　Now there’s a new chapter, the farmers leaving these fields for cities like Zhengzhou, are becoming not just workers but consumers too. In short - they’re off to join the middle class.

　　Neil: So, people are now moving to the city not just to find work but to spend the money they earn. They are becoming consumers because their income - the money they earn - has gone up.

　　Rob: So, this is because of industrialisation - a change from an economy based on farming to a growth in factories making things. Now, this happened in China in the 1970s but it is now upgrading⁷ or improving its industries again making people wealthier.

　　Neil: This has led to a consumer society - that’s where people are spending money on things like fridges and washing machines.

　　Rob: Let’s hear from John Sudworth again, talking about a consumer from China - what does this woman do if she can’t afford to buy something?

　　BBC reporter, John Sudworth:

　　Jessica Zhao earns a little more than $12,000 US dollars a year and she spends every last bit of it, often with the help of a credit⁸ card. My parents would never spend money they don’t have, she tells me, but attitudes are changing fast.

　　Neil: So that woman uses a credit card - it means she can buy now and pay later. It’s a change in attitude - it’s not what our parents or grandparents would do. I do it all the time. You pay for the goods later but with a high interest rate. What have you bought with your credit card recently Rob?

　　Rob: A new carpet… a pair of jeans and some train tickets. But I’m not looking forward to my credit card bill!

　　Neil: Nor me. You might think we are spending a lot - in China 2,500 vehicles are sold every hour!

　　Rob: Goodness⁹. Well, the rise of the middle class could be a good thing. As people’s standard of living improves, global poverty could be reduced.

　　Neil: Ah, but if people borrow too much money there could be a credit crunch¹⁰ - that’s a bad economic situation where banks do not want to lend as much money.

　　Rob: But what I really want to know is when will I become upper class?

　　Neil: Sorry Rob, you’ll never get there - it’s all about your upbringing and your family - something you can’t change, even with money. But let’s prove how well educated I am by seeing if I got today’s question right.

　　Rob: OK. Earlier I asked you how many people are predicted to be middle class in the world by 2030?

　　Neil: I said 3.9 billion.

　　Rob: You were wrong. The figure is 4.9 billion. Now, Neil, could you remind us of some of today's language?

　　Neil: obsession

　　possessions

　　privileged

　　disposable income

　　well-off

　　consumers

　　income

　　industrialisation

　　credit crunch

　　upgrading

　　consumer society

　　upbringing

　　Rob: OK that's it for this programme. Do join us again soon for more 6 Minute English from BBC Learning¹¹ English.

　　Both: Bye.

1 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

2 privileged   

adj.享有特权的；特许的，专用的；秘密的，保密的；幸运的

参考例句：

• Those in authority were in a privileged position. 有地位者自有特权。
• a privileged Wasp background 享有特权的盎格鲁&dash1;撒克逊裔白人新教徒出身

3 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

4 luxuries   

n.奢侈( luxury的名词复数 )；豪华；奢侈品；不常有的乐趣（或享受、优势）

参考例句：

• Such luxuries are unavailable to ordinary people. 此等奢侈品普通百姓是难以获得的。
• His salary is low and he gets few luxuries. 他薪水微薄，很少买奢侈品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 shift   

n.交换，变化，移动，接班者；vt.更替，移转，变声；vi.改变，定责，更衣

参考例句：

• Lend me a hand to shift this box,will you?来帮一下忙，把这箱子搬开，好吗？
• A sudden shift in the wind warned of the coming storm.风向的突然改变预示暴风雨来临。

6 overtaking   

v.追上，赶上，超过( overtake的现在分词 )；（不愉快的事情）突然发生；突然降临；（在数量或重要性方面）大于

参考例句：

• After the meal, I could feel lethargy overtaking me. 饭后我昏昏欲睡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We should have close fighting and overtaking, and unfortunately we don't. 我们应该要更紧密的战斗和超车，但不幸的是我们没有。 来自互联网

7 upgrading   

浓缩

参考例句：

• Many people are upgrading their mobiles to top-end models. 很多人不断将手机升级到最高档的款式。
• We will press ahead with our plans for upgrading the software. 我们会继续为我们的计划努力，加快进行软件升级。

8 credit   

n.信用，荣誉，贷款，学分；v.归功于，赞颂，信任

参考例句：

• I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
• He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉，我们做不讨好的工作。

9 goodness   

n.善良，善行，美德

参考例句：

• Would you have the goodness to turn off the radio?劳驾，请你把收音机关上好不好？
• Thank goodness,we've found a cure for the disease.好了，这病有救了！

10 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

11 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。